As Huawei boldly proclaimed the comeback of its flagship 5G smartphone in early August, rumors about Huawei commissioning China's largest semiconductor foundry SMIC to break through the US export sanctions flared up again. Apparently, SMIC is the most likely source of Huawei's 5G chips, which has to be made by advanced semiconductor processing technologies. What did SMIC not say about its advanced foundry services? How is it coping with the business downcycle, alongside new export controls by the US, Japan, and the Netherlands on semiconductor equipment, to stay competitive?
Driver monitoring has become a critical focus of automotive safety systems as distracted driving remains the primary cause of car accidents. Israel-based Cipia develops driver-monitoring systems enabled by computer vision AI. The company has gained a presence in China, poised to scale up in the US and Europe.
A recent survey of 10 semiconductor manufacturing companies by Nikkei showed that their equipment investment in 2023 is likely to decline 16% from a year ago, to US$122 billion. This would be the first annual decline since 2019, and the largest drop in 10 years.
Applications such as electric vehicles and energy storage have gradually seen material demands. However, whether the two applications can be operated safely and effectively depends on the battery. Many industry leaders in Taiwan have been investing in those fields or cross-domain developments for many years. Among them, Taiwan startup XING Mobility has not only written a new chapter for battery cooling technology but also successfully found a new breakthrough for Taiwan manufacturers in the international market competition.
Failing to get approval from Chinese authorities for the US$5.4 billion deal to acquire Tower Semiconductor, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger had to throw in the towel and call off the plan.
Car manufacturers have long been investing in building up their automotive chip supply chain, and the power module sector has been attracting major investment from them. Auto makers in China are trying to secure their access to power modules by collaborating with silicon carbide compound semiconductor (SiC) product providers, so as to catch up with BYD, the electrical automotive giant with the capability of producing batteries and IGBT/SiC key components.
Semiconductor companies have long been trading secondhand semiconductor equipment, but geopolitical tension and government policies have stimulated the demand so significantly that people are seeing a void to fill.
Since ChatGPT ignited a race among competitors to develop their generative AI system in early 2023, the high-computing power demand has pushed up the sales of AI GPUs.
On July 28th, Friday, at the Company Venture in New York City, the North America Taiwanese Engineering & Science Association (NATEA) NY team hosted a thought-provoking startup talk event, centered around the theme of "Becoming an Entrepreneur". The entrepreneurial journey is often a daring leap from the familiar world of corporate jobs to the uncertain territory of startups. Throughout the talk, industry experts generously shared their invaluable experiences, challenges, and expert advice for those aspiring to make this transformation. Covering a wide array of topics, from finding the right co-founder to understanding the industry and securing venture capital funding, the event provided a treasure trove of insights for budding entrepreneurs.
As more and more companies participating in the RE100 initiative will use 100% green energy by 2030–2050, green hydrogen is a key option in the long-term global energy transition. In view of the strong growth potential of the global hydrogen industry, Taiwan's semiconductor companies should have long-term plans for utilizing green hydrogen as a source of green energy, said Sabrina Yu, analyst and project manager at DIGITIMES Research.
Nuclear fusion technology is gaining momentum. Alpha Ring, a startup company that has pioneered electron-catalyzed fusion, originated in the US and is now flourishing in Taiwan, working to establish an ecosystem aimed at harnessing the ultimate energy solution. Their innovative micro-fusion reactor sets them apart from conventional fusion reactors.
In April 2023, the United Nations declared that India had officially surpassed China in total population, making it the world's most populous country. This milestone has captured global attention, directing a spotlight onto India's market potential.
Having just celebrated the inauguration of its Global R&D Center building in Hsinchu, TSMC has made clear that Taiwan will remain the core hub of its innovation and advanced-node production for at least the next 20 years. However, with the geopolitical power struggle and the trend of regionalization expected to take hold, TSMC and Taiwan must justify their value to the customers who are seeking to diversify production out of Taiwan.
There is a big blind spot for Taiwan and all other countries dishing out CHIPS Act subsidies only to advanced-node semiconductor manufacturing capacities: innovations on mature nodes, which are used to produce chips in everyday applications to enable our transportation infrastructure, building temperature controls, automotive controls, and more, continue to receive huge investment in China without limitations.
Semiconductor industry is extremely capital-intensive and technology-driven. Those players who hold dominant positions define the market. To illustrate this, I'll use the analogy of "World Baseball Classic."
